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Slow Cooker Chicken and Pasta

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Slow Cooker Chicken and Pasta

Everyone knows that life has its ups and downs, so does the answer to what’s for dinner tonight. The heat is stifling at best and the humidity is off the charts. I just couldn’t bare the thought of my dear husband grilling one more day in the intense heat. He was a trooper all weekend and grilled, grilled and grilled some more but come Monday I had to say no more. Desperate times call for desperate measures. A variety of pulls on my time meant only one thing–dig out the slow cooker and put it to good use.

The recipe had to be quick, simple and considered a winner by the entire family. [Read more…]

Spicy Cucumber Salad

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Spicy Cucumber Salad

I grew up falling in love with my mom’s cucumbers and vinegar. It was a tangy addition to many a summertime meal at my childhood home. After I married my husband, I discovered his family’s version of cucumbers and they were delicious too. He grew up with more of a sugar syrup-vinegar version while I grew up with onions and vinegar but no sugar. Either method is a winner in my book. After noshing on these crisp slices all summer long, it was time for a change.

I adapted a recipe that I had developed for the Kansas City Star’s Eating for Life column. I left out the red pepper flakes, added srircha sauce and increased the amount of pasta like pearls in order to please our teenager….voila! Perfect for summer lunches or to accompany burgers from the grill. This version may not be as healthy as the original recipe, but it works and my family will devour it without complaints and still reap the benefits of eating fresh vegetables. This works for me! [Read more…]

Slow Cooker Beef Heros and Fun at the Great Midwest Balloon Fest

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Slow cooker beef sandwich photo
About this time in the summer, I grow weary of grilled chicken and plain ole burgers. Don’t get me wrong, I love grilling out, but sometimes you need to change it up a bit.

There are also those weekends that are so packed with fun or work you need a quick meal. Like this weekend, put this recipe in your slow cooker and come out and enjoy the US Bank Great Midwest Balloon Fest at the Kansas Speedway.  After your fun day, you can go home and have a great tasting, almost-ready-to serve dinner!  (Now, keep reading this blog–and you will discover when we will be at the Balloon Fest–and if you show us a picture of your slow cooker meal, you will get $5.00 off of our Triple Slow Cooker Entertaining Cookbook. [Read more…]

Midwestern Cobb Salad

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Midwestern Cobb Salad

Please tell me it happens to you too! Do you ever get in a salad rut? Where the same ole same ole just won’t fit the bill anymore. Sometimes, the antidote to this problem can be as simple as presentation. Shake it up a bit and go ahead and add more ingredients than you normally would. Take a few extra minutes and fry some bacon. Then present the salad in an artistic manner, set the dinner table and stand back. The ohs and awhs from your family will delight and dinner will be exciting once again. [Read more…]